Naomi Campbell Claudia Schiffer Cindy Crawford Balmain

Naomi Campbell Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford were featured in a recent Balmain campaign

We know this is old news but somehow we’ve only just learned about it. It’s been a slow start to 2016. But yesterday we came across the awesome pictures featuring Naomi Campbell Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford in their recent Balmain SS16 campaign.

The ladies look incredible. They did an amazing job representing women over 40. Both Naomi and Claudia are 45 and Cindy is 49.

We’re not going to BS you. Being female comes with certain realities that are harder to deal with as you get into the ages past the mid-thirties. So we’re never going to make a claim that twenty-somethings don’t have any advantages over forty-somethings. They have many advantages. And that’s okay. That’s how life works. There’s no competition. Everyone who lives a full life will pass through both their 20s and their 40s. And the cycle will continue until human beings become extinct.

But it’s nice to see women in their forties being celebrated and shown to still possess youth and vitality.

Usually women in their forties are represented as having no identity other than that of someone’s parent, some one’s wife or someone who “used to be” XY or Z once upon a time but who is now a shell of their former self and not worthy of recognition or acclaim in their present form.

And as far as fashion and the over 40 woman…

We live in a society that shames women who are over 40 into not wearing certain types of clothing. Like this dress Naomi is wearing here…

Even though she looks as good in it as any of the twenty-something year old models might, there are people who will suggest that this dress is inappropriate for Naomi to wear because she is 45 and a 45 year old woman should be dressing like a “mom”. Naomi doesn’t have any kids so she’s not a mom; but she’s mom age and even in some cases there are 45 year old women who have grandchildren. So she’s even old enough to be someone’s grandma. And the world figures if you’re the age where you could be the mother of a 20 year old or even be someone’s grandmother, you shouldn’t wear clothes that can be considered young and sexy. It doesn’t matter how you look. These people are of the belief that an age over 40 is not young. And it’s not possible to be sexy if you’re over 40. So you shouldn’t be dressing as if you’re still young and sexy if you’re over 40.

But if you can rock Balmain in your 40s why the heck shouldn’t you?

For that matter if you can rock Balmain in your 70s and 80s to hell with who thinks Balmain is not appropriate for you to wear. There are women out there who will be inspired by you. So dress for yourself, and dress for the women who will take inspiration from your confidence and gain a little confidence of their own thanks to you. The rest of the people don’t matter.